Food expiry indicators could become tactile

Mimica has developed a food expiry indicator, called Mimica Touch, which could replace traditional expiry dates on food products. Originally known as Bump Mark, the indicator sits on the food packaging and decays at the same speed as the product.

Consumers can establish an accurate rate of decay through tactile information. Mimica Touch is made of gelatin, a by-product from the food industry, meaning that it reacts to changes in temperature in the cold chain.

With a similar molecular composition of food, any decay causes a molecular breakdown in the gel, which causes bumps to form. The label is originally smooth, but the more it decays the bumpier it feels to users, which is a concept that was developed with the visually impaired in mind. When bumps can be felt, it means the product has spoiled and is therefore no longer safe to eat.

The company’s website describes Mimica Touch as “a data driven product that uses a biological model to show an accumulative effect of the changes in the packaged food in real time without the need for a reading device”.

Mimica put shelf life testing data from the lab into its mathematical model to adjust the gel for each product line.

The label is easily made on-site and is designed so that it can be adopted by existing packaging equipment. Ultimately, it is a scaled down package consisting of a plastic tray and lidding film containing gel.

While the product is still being developed, tactile indicators such as Mimica Touch may reduce levels of food waste and change the food packaging industry in the future.